Back to Normal
by Shadow Phantom
Summary: Your run-of-the-mill romantic comedy starring everybody's favorite bushy haired bookworm and red-haired chess fanatic.


Disclaimer: Harry Potter remains, most sadly, and most predictably, not mine.

Rated PG for: Some British insults.

AN: This thing was originally going to have a completely different plot, and just sort of morphed into…well, this. Ah well, fluff is needed into today's society, is it not? ^_^ 

Back to Normal

"Hey Harry?" Hermione Granger asked tentatively. 

Harry Potter looked up from his Astronomy assignment. "What is it?" He dropped his quill, grateful to take a break. 

"Have you noticed Ron acting…well, strange lately?"

Harry almost laughed. So he wasn't the only one who thought his red-haired friend was off color. He could have kissed Hermione for bringing it up…completely platonically, of course.

"I'd have to be blind not to."

Hermione let out a long sigh and sat down across from him. "I really thought that I was the only one for awhile. Do you know what's wrong with him?"

"No idea." Harry started to fiddle with his quill. "You know, Ron usually doesn't have to express his emotions out loud, considering they show up clearly enough on his face. The two of us hardly ever talk about feelings and such." A new idea came to mind. "Come to think of it, the two of us hardly ever talk at all anymore."

He could see genuine worry light up in Hermione's eyes. "I really hope that he's all right. He'll just bottle it up until he explodes, won't he?"

"Knowing Ron? Of course. I could try asking him about it if you want me to." 

"Would you? I would, but, well, I'm sure he'll feel more comfortable talking to you about it. We'd probably get into a fight."

"I'm on the job," Harry assured her.

Hermione's eyes welled up with tears. "Oh Harry, thank you. I have to go." She rounded the table and hugged him tightly before practically dashing out of the library. 

Harry turned reluctantly back to his homework for a few minutes before he was interrupted again. 

"Have a nice time talking to Hermione?"

Harry looked up and put on a very serious face. "Yes Ron, we declared our undying love for each other." He saw the horrified look that crossed Ron's features. "Ron, I'm _joking_," he said quickly. 

"Yeah, I knew that," Ron said, but seemed to brighten considerably. "Sinistra?" he asked. "I just finished it, during the Prefect's meeting." 

"Well then, care to help me out?"

"Sure mate," Ron pulled the scroll of paper out of his bag and handed it to Harry for copying. "So, when are you planning the next practice?" 

Harry shrugged. "Friday night or Saturday morning. I'll have to ask Hermione if she wants to do anything before I decided for sure." He crouched over his chart and missed the look on Ron's face. 

"Harry?"

"What?"

"How long were you and Hermione planning on keeping this a secret from me?"

"This?" Harry forgot all about Astronomy in his extreme confusion. He noticed just how red Ron's face had gone. 

"Yeah, 'this'. You know, your relationship."

Harry was even more confused. "We've never kept our relationship hidden from you."

"That's news to me," Ron muttered darkly. 

"So what?" Harry snapped a little, frustrated at the fact that he didn't know what was going on. "You didn't know that Hermione and I have been friends since first year? Honestly Ron, I knew you were thick, but I thought that surely even you weren't _that_ thick."

"Friends?" Ron's voice rose, and Madam Pince sent him a reprimanding glare. "Friends?" he repeated, much more quietly. "You can't tell me that you and Hermione are just friends." 

"Well then what can I tell you? That the platonic bonds of our acquaintance have yet to sever?" 

"Harry, mate, you can tell me if you're with Hermione," Ron looked at him with such cow eyes that Harry couldn't get worked up over his stupidity. 

"I'm _not_ with Hermione," he insisted. "You know that we wouldn't hide something like that from you. Besides, dating Hermione would be like you and Ginny." He shuddered at the thought. "Why the sudden interest anyway? I mean – bloody hell. Ron, do you fancy Hermione?"

"Well, I – Harry, why would you ask that? I, um, the deal, er, you see-" Ron stuttered. 

Oh yes. Harry had not only discovered the problem; he'd gained sufficient amounts of ammo for merciless teasing. 

"Why didn't you tell me before, mate?" Harry asked, unable to conceal the huge grin creeping across his face. 

Ron rolled his eyes. "I knew that you would get that look on your face and never leave me alone about it. Please Harry, leave me alone about it." 

"And miss such a perfect opportunity? Ron, you've got to be joking. I'll be worse than Fred and George."

"_Harry._" 

"Well, maybe not that bad. How's this, I won't tell Hermione."

"And?"

"I will tell the rest of Gryffindor tower."

"Harry!"

Harry laughed. "Fine. I'll only tell the other blokes and Ginny." 

"Ginny?" Ron asked faintly. 

"I'm sure she's already figured it out already, but I'll just make sure to test that theory."

Ron went beet red. "Harry-"

"Harry! Ron!" 

"Hermione," Ron whispered. "Don't tell her Harry, don't you tell her. If you do-"

"No worries mate. Hi Hermione."

"Supper is about to start and I didn't see either one of you in the Great Hall. Almost finished Harry?"

Harry copied the last of Ron's notes. "Finished and ready to go." He handed Ron back his homework, who seemed to predict Hermione's reaction. 

"Give him a break, Hermione. He's only captain of the bloody Quidditch team, you know." 

She huffed, and gave him the scolding look she always did when he swore. "I know, it's just that-"

"Aurors don't have to know Astronomy. He's just taking it fill up his schedule. Keep your hair on."

"Ronald Weasley, you are the most irritating, pigheaded…" 

Harry laughed to himself, and hefted up his book bag. Well, things were certainly on their way to becoming normal between the two of them. At least Hermione could stop worrying about Ron. Harry just hoped that she was satisfied with Ron's change in behavior and didn't ask him what the problem had been. He wasn't one to break promises, but he didn't know if he could hold out against Hermione pestering him. 

Hermione turned around at the library door. "Harry, are you coming?"

"Yes," Ron added, "or are you just going to stand there like a great prat all day?"

"Hold on a minute," Harry checked to make sure he hadn't left anything behind. 

By the time he caught up with Ron and Hermione again they were bickering in full force. No surprises there. 

He walked slightly behind the two of them, waving at various people, who shot him either knowing or sympathetic looks. 

"Hello Harry," said Ginny Weasley as they took their seats. 

"Hullo Ginny."

"I see that they've cleared up the awkwardness between them," she smiled. "My older brother is quite thick, isn't he? I wonder if he'll ever admit to Hermione that he likes her." 

So Ginny did know, as Harry had strongly suspected. "He'll get the worse end of a prank sooner or later." 

"Probably." She helped herself to some potatoes. "That git. I'm almost tempted to meddle." 

Harry had to agree. Though he figured that they would eventually realize it without outside help. If it took too long, however, there were always a few people who were willing to help nudge things along ("a few" people being just about the entire population of Hogwarts). 

"They'll get there," Ginny said, voicing Harry's thoughts. "Ignoring that though, how are you, Harry? Planned the next Quidditch practice yet?" 

"I'm good." He related the same information about practice to her as he had to Ron. "What about you? How's Dean?"

She laughed, and Harry thought about shielding himself from potential pumpkin juice spraying. "I'm fantastic. Dean might be likewise, but you would know better if you asked him. We broke up about a month ago." 

"Really?" If possible, he felt happier than he had when Ron had admitted to fancying Hermione, which was saying something. 

She nodded. "Just ask Parvati about it." 

Now it was Harry's turn to laugh. He obviously did not have quite the observance he had thought if he had missed Parvati talking about her new boyfriend. 

"Well then, who is the new catch?" 

"Nobody at the moment. This dating business is a bit overrated. I'm waiting until I really find somebody, instead of agreeing to date the first bloke who asks me."

"That's very smart of you."

"Thanks," she flashed him a smile. Harry smiled stupidly back for a moment. He hoped Ron wouldn't be too distraught upon learning that Harry fancied his little sister. Ron would be bad enough to handle, but if he really got upset, well…

Harry wasn't too keen on facing all six Weasley brothers. 

"Hermione, please, I don't want to hear about it anymore. Poor Harry is being ignored."

"Well," Harry said, "if you want to keep arguing, go ahead. I'm having a splendid chat with Ginny. After all, I wouldn't want to infringe on the important issue of you two pointing out each other's flaws with startling accuracy." 

Ron grinned, but Hermione shot Harry a stern look. 

"You want to play chess when we get back to the common room?" Ron asked. 

"Only if you promise to let me win a game or two."

"Don't be a prat, mate."

"Really Ron, must you always insult Harry like that?"

"Really Hermione, must you always nag me about everything?" Ron shot back at her.

"Really you two, must you always bite each other's heads off?" Harry quipped. 

Hermione muttered the ever popular, "_Boys,_" and turned intently to her newest book.

"Would you like to play chess as well, Hermione?" Ron asked, knowing full well that she would snap at him for interrupting her. She glared at him over the top of the text in response. "All right then. What about you, Ginny?"

"I'll play a game or two," Ginny said agreeably. 

"Don't you have homework?" Hermione asked. 

"Weren't you reading? Harry and I put off homework all the time fifth year, and we only failed Divination." 

She gave Ron a reprimanding stare. "Yes, but you know that you really could have gotten an 'outstanding' in-"

"It's all right Hermione," Ginny said quickly. "Some friends and I have a study group planned for tomorrow night." 

"All right, I give up, I'll play as well."

"Brilliant!" Ron exclaimed, jumping to his feet. 

Hermione turned to Ron, startled. "You haven't even had any dessert yet!"

"Who cares? I'll go set up the board," and with that, he rushed out of the hall. 

Hermione turned bewilderedly to Harry. "What did he tell you exactly?" 

How to avoid the question…"That I could say if you and I were an item," he said truthfully. 

She looked just as horrified at the prospect as Ron had. "What did you tell him?"

"That he was barmy."

"That was it, then?"

"More or less." Ron hadn't exactly said the words "I like Hermione" had he? 

However, Hermione seemed to accept Harry's explanation. "I suppose he just didn't know how to act around us if we really had been going out. Although he should have known better than to think that we would actually date." 

Harry shrugged. "I guess love confuses people sometimes."

Ginny prodded him sharply in the side, and Harry suddenly realized what he had said.

"What?"

"Er, um-" was it too late to back out? Hermione's look clearly said "yes". 

"Harry, what in the world is that supposed to mean?"

He shot a pleading look at Ginny, who replied with a stern shake of the head.

"I, uh, promised that I wouldn't tell." Even to him, the excuse sounded weak. Hermione raised a skeptical eyebrow. Harry tried to think of something to say, something besides the truth, but a third year nearby was showing a Sneakoscope off to her friends. "Ron fancies you."

Hermione's jaw dropped like a weight. "He does?"

Now it was Ginny's turn to be startled. "You didn't know? We all figured that you'd known for ages."

Hermione blushed. "Well, I guess that I was too preoccupied with him to look for the signs." 

"So you fancy him as well?" Harry said loudly. He received another prod from Ginny, look around furtively, and lowered his voice. "You should have told me, Hermione, this is great!"

Hermione held up her hand to her unusually burning cheeks. "Well, I was planning on telling Ginny soon if nothing happened." 

Ginny was grinning. "I figured it awhile ago," she told Hermione. "Do you what this means though? When we get back to the common room, you can tell him!"

"_No_," Hermione whispered. "No, I couldn't do that." 

"But he likes you Hermione! If you admitted it to him, there's no way he would even think about turning you down."

"What about Parvati and Lavender?"

"Have you ever seen him look at either one of them twice?" Ginny cut in. "Honestly, think about how much you like him, and then double it. That's at least how much he fancies you." 

"Well…"

"I'm finished with dinner, are you Harry?" Ginny stood up, clanking her fork down next to her half-eaten pound cake. 

"Yeah, let's go play chess."

"Wait, I'm not finished yet, I haven't-"

"You just have to take a risk." Ginny said firmly. "Watch. I'll be you, and Harry will be Ron." Hermione looked torn between amusement and exasperation. Ginny put on an easy smile that eerily resembled Hermione and turned to Harry. 

"Hello Ron, how are you?"

Harry tried to blush to get in character, and shot a look at Hermione who was doing her best to stifle a giggle. He turned back to "Hermione" who was staring at him intently. Harry felt the heat rise up his cheeks. How could Ron stand being so close to Hermione all time without exploding? 

"I'm pretty good, Hermione. How are you?"

"Fine, thanks for asking. Hey Ron, could I talk to you about something?"

"As long as you play me a game of chess."

"Hermione" rolled her eyes. "Honestly Ron, everything in life is not related to chess."

"Like what?" He did his best to look curiously amused. "What's not related to chess?"

"This," Ginny leapt forward directly and kissed Harry full on the mouth. 

Harry was faintly aware of pronounced laughter in the background (especially Hermione's), but that didn't particularly bother him. In fact, he felt that Voldemort could burst into the Great Hall, and he wouldn't care in the least. 

When they pulled apart, Ginny looked at him, apparently at a loss for words. 

"Ginny…"

"Harry, I didn't know that you would actually kiss me back."

He felt like he needed to apologize, but he certainly did not regret kissing Ginny. "Did you not want me to?"

She turned to Hermione. "Trust me, he won't reject you," then she grabbed Harry's hand. "It would be impossible." 

Hermione got a determined look on her face. "Right. I'm going."

"Good. We'll join you in just a few minutes."

Not trusting herself to say anything, Hermione nodded fiercely and started towards Gryffindor Tower. It was now or never; rumors would already be trickling through the school. Best make everything less disastrous then it had the potential to be. 

She gave the Fat Lady the password ("Fussbudget") and entered the common room, searching for that highly identifiable and lovable mop of red hair. 

"Hello Ron." 

He looked up from his intense gaze on the chessboard and regarded her for a moment with his kind blue eyes. "Hi Hermione," he grinned, "where are Harry and Ginny?"

Feeling that Ron wouldn't be able to handle two surprises in one night, she tried to look casual. "Still finishing up their dessert." 

He accepted the statement without question. "White or black?"

"White. Ron, listen, could I talk to you for a minute?"

"About chess?"

"No. About, well, about us."

"About us?" He looked torn between being confused and pure, unadulterated panic. "What exactly do you mean 'about us'?" 

She took a deep breath. "Things have been strange between us lately, and I just wanted to clear the air. To, you know, make things normal again. So, I really need to tell you something."

"Well, if it's that you fancy-"

"-You?"

"What?"

"If you were about to threaten me saying 'Well, if it's that you fancy me' I wanted to make sure that I admitted to it quickly so that you couldn't hurt me, because at the time I said it you hadn't given me the name yet, which leaves me blameless and unthreatened."

"…What?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Ron, you great prat, I fancy you." 

A look of comprehension lit up on his face a split second before it turned bright red. "You…fancy me? Well, Hermione, I fancy you too. I mean, I have since-"

"Ron?"

"What?"

"I think that we're supposed to have a cute romantic snog now."

"Oh, um, all right then."

A few minutes later Harry and Ginny entered the common room, shooting shy grins at each other. Ron and Hermione were embroiled in a game of chess. 

"Hermione, you can only send the pawn two spaces on the first turn! Honestly…"

"Looks like everything is back to normal," Ginny said knowingly. 

Harry saw, that despite Ron's exasperation, he was smiling, and that he and Hermione were holding hands underneath the table.

Normal? He wasn't sure if that ever true of anything at Hogwarts. 

Back to the way they used to be?

Harry followed Ron's lead, and gently took a hold of Ginny's hand.

Well, more or less.


End file.
